Despite its clever multimedia illustrative style reminiscent of the Knuffle Bunny books, this forgettable story lacks the...
The truth about Sasquatch is revealed.
By the accidental means of a fallen bubble-gum trail in the woods, a cheerfully spunky, unnamed girl comes to befriend Sasquatch, who importunes her to get the message out that he is friendly and lovable. And that’s about it as far as the plot is concerned. Bradley superimposes computer-drawn characters against a verdant, photographic background, creating visual interest, but this book falls flat with its lack of substance and story. It may appeal to those attracted to cute for the sake of cute, as when the narrator points out that Sasquatch smells like blueberries and likes hugs, but should be avoided by those seeking a story in which something happens. It attempts humor, as when Sasquatch is first inadvertently caught when blowing a bubble-gum bubble, but the humor does not support an actual plot and so fizzles out. Ultimately the picture-book format seems a conceptual mismatch for what might work as a webcomic or as a fleshed-out children's comic series, wherein Sasquatch actually did something besides introduce himself to the bespectacled girl who is the perky narrator of this inane tale. However, this book will undoubtedly find an audience in those simply seeking visual appeal.
Despite its clever multimedia illustrative style reminiscent of the Knuffle Bunny books, this forgettable story lacks the substance to recommend it beyond a cursory source of cuteness. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4795-6482-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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